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SPECIAL ISSUE NUMBER SIX / MARCH 2003 



Cover montage of works by 

Robert Peak 

Artwork © The Estate of Robert Peak 
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: 

My Fair Lady Poster Design 
Ad for Puritan Sportswear 
Apocalypse Now Poster Design 
Time Cover 
Ad for Dobbs Hat 
Ad for 7-Up 
Ad for Winston Cigarettes 
Portrait of John Singer Sargent 
Center: Superman Poster 



DANIEL ZIMMER 

EDITOR - PUBLISHER - DESIGNER 
dan@theillustratedpress.com 

MATTHEW ZIMMER 

EDITOR 

WRITERS 

THOMAS PEAK 
MATTHEW ZIMMER 
DANIEL ZIMMER 



Illustration masthead designed by 

Gerard Huerta 



Contents © 2003 by Illustration Magazine and the respective 
authors. All artwork ©The Estate of Robert Peak, except where 
noted. None of the material in this publication may be reproduced 
in any form without the written permission of Illustration Maga- 
zine or the copyright holders. All of the images utilized herein are 
reproduced for historical and educational purposes only. While 
every effort has been made to provide factually accurate informa- 
tion, we cannot be responsible for misinformation that may crop 
up from time to time. Please let us know and we will make every 
effort to set the record straight from issue to issue. 

ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE 

540 Wooddell Court, Kirkwood, MO, 63122 
Tel: 314-822-1580 Fax: 314-822-2721 

www.illustration-magazine.com 



Dear Reader... 



This special issue of Illustration is a celebration of the life and work of one of 
America's most talented and influential illustrators, Robert Peak. 

Peak was perhaps the last of the truly "famous" illustrators. He was an illustrator 
when the career was still considered to be a glamorous profession — something 
that is almost hard to imagine now. With his Ferraris (yes, plural), Rolls Royce, 
long hair and sunglasses, he was every bit the dashing, larger than life figure that 
we imagine him to be. Yet underneath all the trappings of his success, Peak more 
than anything else just wanted to be an illustrator. He poured all of his energy into 
his work, and his ability to create memorable and iconic images never faltered. 

As seen by the cover of this issue, no single painting can sum up Bob Peak's 
career. Much like Al Parker before him, his work over the years was startling, 
original and ever-changing. His powerful vision and graphic style electrified 
the commercial art world, and his art in many ways reinvented the look of 
contemporary illustration. The "Peak Look" became the most admired and 
imitated style of the day, and almost overnight his work was seen everywhere. 
His campaigns for some of the largest advertisers in the country gave him 
unprecedented exposure, and his illustrations for the film industry earned him 
the title of "Father of the Modern Movie Poster." His many awards and honors 
have cemented his reputation as one of the giants of the field, and his profound 
influence can be seen in the work of countless illustrators working today. 

I am honored to have the opportunity to present this retrospective of work, 
and I must thank Thomas Peak for allowing me to share this collection and his 
accompanying article with you. All of the images in this issue were drawn from 
Tom's extensive archives, and he went out of his way to dig up many amazing 
things for us to see. You will not be disappointed! 

The concept of this issue, a monograph in magazine format, is an idea I plan to 
repeat in the future with illustrators such as J.C. Leyendecker and Al Parker. I hope 
you like this idea, and I look forward to your comments. 

Now, on to the story! 




Daniel Zimmer, Publisher 

PS: One of the best ways you can directly support this magazine is by subscribing. 
If you've been thinking about subscribing but haven't, please subscribe today! 
Issues are sent out in sturdy boxes, so your copy will arrive in perfect condition. 
Also, back issues are still available. See our ad on page 75 for ordering information. 



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The Life and Art of 

Robert Peak 



by Thomas Peak 



If you lived in America during 
the latter half of the 20th Century, 
read a magazine or newspaper, 
or went to a see a movie, then 
you are already familiar with the 
work of my father, Bob Peak. 
From 1953 until his passing in 
1992, dad established himself as 
one of the country's most prolific 
illustrators, setting his pen and 
brush to work creating images 
for major magazines, newspapers, 
movie posters, and a countless 
number of consumer print ads. 
As a child growing up in New 
York and Connecticut with my 
sister, Catherine, and two brothers, 
Robert and Matthew, it seemed like 
not a week went by that something 
containing my father's illustration did not come into our 
home. Whether it was a Time, TV Guide, or Sports Illustrated 
magazine cover; a Coca-Cola, 7-Up, or TWA Airlines print 
ad; or some other recognizable image from one of many 
major national publications, my father's art was seen every- 
where by almost everyone. 

In the 40 years that my father worked as a professional 
illustrator, he rose to the top of the field and received 
numerous awards and accolades. Among those honors were 
eight Awards of Excellence and four Gold Medals from the 
Society of Illustrators, with induction into their Hall of Fame 
in 1977; being named "Artist of the Year" by The Artists 
Guild of New York in 1961; receiving the "Key Art Lifetime 
Achievement Award" from The Hollywood Reporter for his 
contributions to the film industry; plus many other awards 




Robert Peak, 1964. 



and honors that dad accumulated 
over the course of his career — 
a career that spanned nearly 
four decades. 

But in the beginning, before all 
of the acclaim received in later 
years, Bob Peak was just a seven- 
year old boy who fell in love with 
his first set of brushes and paints; 
a boy who would grow into a man 
with a tremendous talent. 

THE EARLY YEARS 

Bob Peak's life began at 7:25 a.m. 
on May 30, 1927, born to Robert 
M. Peak Sr. and Helen Marie 
Peak at their home in Trinidad, 
Colorado. As a baby, Bob was 
so beautiful that a couple once 
offered to buy him from his parents for $10,000. Naturally, 
my grandparents would have no part of it. After the birth 
of Bob's sister Geraldine one year later, and the subsequent 
stock market crash in October 1929, the Peaks were suddenly 
beset with the same financial struggles that affected millions 
of Americans at that time. When Bob's father found work 
difficult to come by in Trinidad, he packed up the family and 
moved them to Denver in hopes of finding better prospects. 
In the years that followed, Bob's mother gave birth to two 
more sisters, Virginia and Rosemary, and a brother, Jack. 

In Denver, the duplex the family lived in had no furnace, 
so the only heat was provided by a small wood burning 
stove. For added warmth the children would all huddle 
together beneath a blanket. Bob, a Catholic altar boy at the 
time, would gather by the side of his siblings' bed on cold 



< TOP TO BOTTOM: Dobbs Hat, 1959; My Fair Lady (detail), 1964; Boys Life, 1969; Time, June 9, 1975; "Bicentennial 
Movies", 1976; Modesty Blaise, 1966; Puritan Sportswear, 1967; TWA Getaway Adventures, 1973. 



Illustration 5 




Bob Peak's mother, Helen Marie Peak. 



winter nights and 
encourage them 
all to say an act 
of contrition. 
"This way" the 
boy said, "If we 
die during the 
night from the 
cold, we will all 
go to heaven." 

Like many chil- 
dren that possess 
special talents, Bob 
was a serious and 
intense child who 
could be quite 
temperamental. 
He enjoyed play- 
ing with other 
children but also 
found ways to 
occupy his mind 
when left alone. 
A turning point in 
Bob's life occurred 
at the age of seven 

when his mother bought him a cardboard desk with a begin- 
ner's set of paint and brushes. The Christmas gift captivated 
the boy immediately, and he spent the months that followed 
taking any opportunity he could to draw and paint. By the 
time he turned eight, Bob was able to draw recognizable 
likenesses — an early indication of what he would eventually 
be capable of. 

Just before Bob's ninth birthday, his 
mother fell ill with pneumonia and 
passed away at the age of 33. Helen 
Marie, a devout Catholic, asked that 
before her death she be baptized and 
confirmed, requesting the same for all 
of her children. Robert Sr. saw to her 
wishes and made sure that all of the 
children received their sacraments. 

The premature death of Bob's mother 
hit the family hard, and Bob Sr. — left 
with little more than his wife's sewing 
machine and the little clothes they had 
amongst them — moved the family to 
Wichita, Kansas. The hard times they 
experienced in Denver came with them 
to the Midwest, however, and life at their 
Aunt Ann's was devoid of any luxuries. 
To make matters worse for the children, 
Bob Sr.'s sister was a strict disciplinar- 
ian that demanded they keep busy with 
regular chores. After Bob Sr. took a job 
selling hair care products for Gibson 




Products Company, the children seldom saw their father 
during the day. It was under these circumstances that my 
dad learned the value of self-reliance. 

When Bob was a teenager he worked long hours as a 
clerk at the local Kroger grocery store, staying until eleven 
at night on school nights and working hours over the 
weekend. Understandably, Bob began to fantasize about 
building a better life for himself in the future, rebuffing any 
suggestion from his co-workers that he remain in the grocery 
business. As a form of escape outside of work and school 
responsibilities, Bob would continue to draw pictures as he 
did in his childhood. 

As a young man, however, he shifted his focus away from 
pictures of juvenile heroes to those of far away places he 
wished to visit; images such as a couple walking on a beach, 
a group of jazz musicians, or a restaurant in New York. 
In spite of his drab surroundings and a lack of encourage- 
ment from his father, Bob persisted in what was becoming a 
private obsession with art, even building his own makeshift 
easel in the basement of his aunt's house. 

MILITARY SERVICE 

Bob's high school career ended with early graduation at 
the age of 15 in 1942. Though he skipped two grades, he 
took all of the art courses available at Cathedral High School 
in Wichita. His interest in drawing and painting peaked 
during this time, though he participated in school plays and 
worked every day after school. 

Skeptical of his chance at success in an art career, Bob 
enrolled at the University of Wichita where he majored in 
geology. The choice of subject was not a good fit for dad, 
who quickly lost interest in his course work. It wasn't long 
before he enlisted in the Navy in May 
1945 as a Seaman First Class — anxious 
to see the world — and was promptly 
shipped off for eight weeks of basic 
training in Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon 
completion of his training, Bob was 
shipped out to U.S. Naval Frontier Base 
in San Francisco, California. 

Though Bob never saw action in the 
faraway Korean War, the Navy gave him 
an opportunity to showcase his artistic 
talents to his peers. Portraits my dad did 
of his shipmates were so popular with 
his subjects that they sent them back 
home to their families. It was at this 
point that Bob started to believe that 
he might someday have a legitimate 
shot at becoming a professional illus- 
trator. The Navy also gave him time to 
hone his craft: though placed in charge 
of the ship's stores, there was always 
time leftover for dad to sit with a pad of 
paper and work on his drawings. 



Bob Peak in High School, Wichita, Kansas. 



6 Illustration 



RETURNING HOME 

Dad's time in the service ended with an honorable 
separation from the U.S. Navy on August 19, 1946. Filled 
with renewed optimism at the prospect of making headway 
in his art career, Bob returned home to find that his siblings 
were living in an even more desperate situation than they 
were in when he left. Using his G.I. Bill and money he had 
managed to save while he was in the service, my father was 
able to put a down payment on a new home located at 1029 
Pershing Street in Wichita. He also treated himself to a brand 
new Mercury convertible. 

In 1947, dad resumed his studies at the University of 
Wichita — this time, as an art major. Having amassed a 
sizeable portfolio of work by this time, Bob paid a visit to 
McCormick- Armstrong, a large printing firm in the Midwest 
that hired him on part time in the art department. The large 
staff at McCormick- Armstrong included people in the lay- 
out, illustration, and lettering departments. Bob was put to 
work in all three, receiving valuable encouragement from his 
superiors and co-workers. The versatility and support dad 
received from his time at McCormick- Armstrong gave him 
the self-confidence to pursue a career in commercial illustra- 
tion, giving him a firm foundation upon which to build. 

ART CENTER SCHOOL 

Though Bob made strides while attending the University 
of Wichita, the school was primarily a teachers' college and 
therefore did not have a regimented curricula for training 
illustrators. Of the classes that were offered, Bob availed him- 
self of courses in ceramics, lettering, industrial rendering, 
perspective, and watercolor painting. All the while, dad con- 
tinued to do his own illustrations. However, he knew that if 
he was going to go on to the next level, he would eventually 
have to go to New York to prove his worth — after all, it was 
one thing to be good by Wichita standards, but it was some- 
thing else to get noticed in New York. 

By the time he graduated from the University of Wichita in 
1950, Bob sent his portfolio to the Art 
Center School in Los Angeles (now Art 
Center College of Design in Pasadena, 
California). He was accepted on a par- 
tial scholarship in October of that year. 
Fortunately, the time he had spent at 
the University of Wichita was not a 
complete waste — he had accumulated 
enough credits that the Art Center 
School allowed him to start at the half- 
way point of their four-year program. 
The next two years of his life were spent 
in the rigorous pursuit of his craft. 
Among his teachers were the famous 
illustrators John LaGatta and Reynold 
Brown. LaGatta taught Bob with an old 
school rigor, emphasizing the impor- 
tance of giving one hundred percent 
effort to all projects. 





Bob Peak, his sisters and brother. LEFT TO RIGHT: Bob Peak, 
Geraldine Gegen, Virginia Lipke, Rosemary Malone and William Peak. 

In order to support himself while he attended school, Bob 
had a variety of jobs — waxing floors and cooking in the caf- 
eteria, landscaping the campus grounds, and waiting tables 
at local restaurants. He lived with a fellow student in a small 
dorm on campus, and spent what little free time he had 
continuously drawing and painting. Unlike the University of 
Wichita, the Art Center School channeled all of Bob's classes 
toward the study of illustration exclusively, enabling him to 
learn such topics as sketching for illustration, head drawing, 
life drawing, and advertising illustration. 

Romance would also enter my father's life during this time. 
He met a young woman — a fellow student at Art Center 
School — by the name of Lucille Tedesco. After a brief court- 
ship, the couple married in 1952. The girl came from a fam- 
ily that owned a growing ready mix concrete business located 
in Southern California. Bob's father-in- 
law, Santo (Sam) Tedesco, was so fond 
of his new son-in-law that he offered 
him a position of partial ownership 
in the family business. Bob, however, 
was insistent on following his chosen 
career path. In the short span of time 
after his graduation from Art Center 
School, my dad spent three solid 
months assembling a sizeable portfolio 
of his work while my mother worked a 
full-time job to support them. He took 
the satchel with him when they left for 
New York City in 1953. 

Armed with little more than self- 
confidence and ambition when he 
arrived in New York, Bob was able to 
land a job at the Alexander E. Chaite 
Studios. Though he made very little 



Bob Peak with his wife Lucille, 1952. 



Illustration 7 





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Old Hickory Bourbon advertisement, 1956 



McGregor Sportswear advertisement, 1957 




Italian Line advertisement, 1958 



money, he was working in the company of a number of other 
fine illustrators. (Some past Chaite Studio alums included 
Robert McGuiness, Mike Hooks, Bernie Fuchs and Frank 
McCarthy.) At that time, most of the commercial illustration 
being produced was done in the "Cooper Studio style" — a 
photo -realistic style of painting that relied heavily on photo 
reference and the balopticon projector, an approach made 
famous by the competing Cooper Studio in New York. 
Dad wanted to break out of this narrow mold and produce 
more expressive work. He was often told, "There's no market 
for your flamboyant work. You're going to have to pull in 
your horns." 

Bob made an effort to conform to this standard, and was 
able to receive a few early assignments. Dissatisfied with his 
work, however, he made the decision that he would have to be 
true to himself, or he may as well give up and move back to 
California. Bob proceeded to burn all of the illustrations he 
had made to that point, and vowed from that moment on to 
only do the kind of work that he wanted to do, spending the 
next six weeks perfecting his style. 

An art director and a salesman at Chaite Studios took 
notice of Bob's paintings and appreciated what he was try- 
ing to do with his work. The salesman took a stack of Bob's 
sketches over to Martin Stevens, a friend and art director at 
Old Hickory Bourbon. At that time, the company was looking 
for an illustrator to create images for their new ad campaign. 



Illustration 



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Dobbs Hat advertisement, 1958 

After that initial meeting, Bob received an assignment to 
create some concept drawings for Old Hickory. The same 
assignment was also given to Rene Bouche, the renowned 
fashion illustrator whose work appeared in Paris Vogue 
magazine in the 1930's and also counted Saks Fifth Avenue, 
Jaguar, Helena Rubinstein, and Elizabeth Arden among 
his clients. Bob respected the range of Bouche's work, 
which also included portraits of celebrities including 
Edward R. Murrow, Sophia Loren, Jack Benny, William and 
Elaine DeKooning, and Igor Stravinsky. 

In approaching the assignment, Bob created an unusual 
picture depicting men with hook noses and big ears, holding 
their hands up in front of their faces. It was a departure from 
the images of beautiful people often seen in commercial 
illustration at that time. As it turned out, his unconventional 
style appealed to the people at Old Hickory, and he was 
chosen over Bouche for the final job. Using the bourbon 
campaign as a springboard, it was only a matter of months 
before Bob found his illustrations on the back covers of 
Look and Life magazines, and he went from making virtually 
nothing a week to making over $40,000 a year. In quick 
succession, Bob Peak had established himself as a name in 
the commercial art world. 

The impact of his work with the Old Hickory campaign 
led him to other assignments from Pepsi- Cola, Chrysler, 
and Dobbs Hats. 



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Cosmopolitan illustration, 1957. Gouache. 



Illustration 9 




Dobbs Hat advertisement, 1960. Gouache. 




Dobbs Hat advertisement, 1959. Gouache. Dobbs Hat advertisement, 1959. Gouache. 



1 Illustration 



THE 1960s 



Bob's career would truly ascend in the 1960's, bringing 
him assignments and acclaim across a wide spectrum. In that 
decade, he would work on high profile campaigns for some 
of America's largest companies, including R.J. Reynolds, Ford 
Motor Company, 7-Up, Trans World Airlines, and Puritan. 
He would start painting covers for Sports Illustrated and 
TV Guide, eventually creating 39 separate covers for the 
country's television bible throughout the '60s, '70s and '80s. 
In 1961, Bob would also for the first time begin to do adver- 
tising work for major motion pictures. Over the next two 
decades, his movie posters for films such as Apocalypse Now 
and Superman would further cement his reputation as a 
legend in the field of commercial illustration. 

As the assignments began to pour in, it became 
increasingly difficult for Bob to manage his own business 
affairs and still have enough time to do quality work. With 
his career kicking into high gear, it made sense that he take 
on official representation. An associate of Bob's suggested 
that he meet with a friend of his by the name of Harvey 
Kahn. When they met for the first time in 1960, Kahn had 
already established himself as a representative of fashion 
illustrators and photographers, and was quickly on his way to 
becoming one of the most respected agents in New York for 
illustrators. His client list eventually included such names as 
Alan E. Cober, Bernie Fuchs, and Wilson McLean. 

When Kahn first went to visit Bob Peak in 1960, the 
family was living in the top two floors of 36 Central Park 
South in New York City, just overlooking the park. The 
master bedroom and Bob's studio were on the very top 
floor, with the children's rooms, kitchen, den, and other 
quarters occupying the floor below. When Kahn rang the 
doorbell, Bob answered and immediately introduced the 
guest to Lucille, saying, "This is my wife Lucille, she is 
the most important person in my life." After this pleasant 
introduction, Kahn would go on to represent Bob Peak for 
the next 30 years of his career. 

By 1962, Bob and Lucille decided that they and their 
young family would be better suited away from the hectic 
lifestyle of New York, and moved to the picturesque 
countryside of Greenwich, Connecticut. With four young 
children at this point, the couple felt that Greenwich offered 
the environment and style of living ideal for them to grow 
up in. Bob drove one of his exotic sportscars into New York 
whenever he needed to meet with clients, since Harvey Kahn 
had an established office in the city. 

Bob set up his studio at the family house, separate from the 
living quarters to allow for ample privacy and solitude. Once 
there, he continued with his busy schedule, constantly work- 
ing on ways to stay fresh and keep his work in demand. He 
went to great lengths to stay in touch with the ever- changing 
tastes of the public, reading whatever new book or magazine 
he could get his hands on, taking in a variety of material 
designed for his own young children all the way up to the 
elderly. His shifting tastes and continual movement was also 




Puritan Sportswear advertisement, c. 1962 '68. Gouache and collage. 




Bob Peak in New York City at 36 Central Park South, c. 1960-61. 




Bob Peak's children in New York, c. 1960-61. LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine Rogers, 
Matthew Peak, Robert Peak, Thomas Peak. 



Illustration 1 1 






Cosmopolitan illustration, 1964. Gouache. Ladies Home Journal illustration, 1964. Gouache. 




McCall's illustration, 1965. Gouache. 



Illustration 1 3 




1 4 Illustration 




7-UP advertisement, 1963. Winston Cigarettes advertisement, 1969. 



Illustration 15 



Bob Peak's first movie campaign for West Side Story, 1961. Gouache. 



reflected in the fact that the family moved several times while 
in Greenwich, switching houses periodically while remaining 
in the same city. 

Despite the separation of his studio from the family 
living quarters, the frenetic energy of his four children 
still proved to be too much of a distraction during Bob's 
working hours. With this in mind, he moved his entire 
studio up to nearby Wesport, Connecticut, setting up a two- 
story workspace in a commercial building located on the 
Saugutuck River. The half hour drive between his studio in 
Wesport and his home in Greenwich offered an opportunity 
to unwind as he sat behind the wheel of his Ferrari and 
cruised through the beautiful surroundings of the the Merrit 
Parkway. He particularly enjoyed the drive late at night, 
coming back after putting in many long hours in front of 
his easel working on any number of assignments. "A half 
hour's ride in a Ferrari can do more for relaxing me than an 
evening out at the theater," he said. 

Bob Peak would gain his first exposure to the movie 
industry in 1961, the same year he was awarded the "Artist 
of the Year Award" by the Artist Guild of New York. David 
Chassman, an executive at the United Artists film studio, 
hired Bob to create a new look for a feature film version of 
the hit Broadway musical West Side Story. Up until this time, 
the major studios such as Universal, Allied Artists, and MGM 
had used illustrators such as Reynold Brown, Ken Sawyer, 



and Joe Smith to create the "key art" during the '50s and '60s 
for westerns, romances and monster movies. The art created 
for this film was a radical departure from the established 
styles of these other artists. 

To create the movie poster for West Side Story, Bob began 
the project by doing a series of black and white drawings 
followed by color paintings of Natalie Wood, Richard 
Beymer, Rita Moreno, and George Chikiris. He incorporated 
these subjects into a variety of settings from the film, trying 
to combine them into a single painting. His flamboyant 
montage had never been seen before in the film industry, 
and it was from this point that Bob Peak would transform 
the established philosophy toward movie advertising. Of the 
key art for West Side Story, Bob said "My job is to encapsulate 
a movie in one picture, maybe provide a collage of elements 
that will entice people to come in." His influence over movie 
art would continue throughout the '60s with work done for 
The Birdman ofAlcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate, The 
Cincinatti Kid, In Like Flint, Our Man Flint, Modesty Blaise, 
Lord Jim, Camelot, and My Fair Lady. 

For My Fair Lady, done in 1964, Bob would create one 
of his most memorable pieces depicting a young Audrey 
Hepburn holding an umbrella while standing next to Rex 
Harrison. Scenes from the movie are intertwined around the 
two actors, with Hepburn's arms serving as the focal point 
for the picture. Bob would later remark, "Audrey Hepburn's 



1 6 Illustration 



Original key art for My Fair Lady, 1964. Dr. RH. Martin's dyes and conte pencil on museum board. 





Color sketch for Camelot, 1967. Gouache. 




Color sketch for Camelot, 1967. Gouache. 




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A letter to Bob Peak from Joshua Logan, the director of the film 
Camelot, 1967. 



arms were an 'A frame' for the action." A few years later, Bob 
received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators 
in 1967 for his widely recognized rendering of Vanessa 
Redgrave and Richard Harris in Camelot. 

THE PASSING OF BOB SR. 

Sadly, the following year — on February 18, 1968 — would 
bring the death of Bob's father. A longtime sufferer from 
high-blood pressure, Bob Sr. also endured complications 
from emphysema. Over the years, and in spite of his busy 
schedule, Bob made many trips back to Wichita to visit with 
his family back home. At the time of his passing, however, 
Bob was angry with his father for having not been a better 
provider for his siblings when he was alive. This sentiment 
was reinforced by the fact that he and his brother Jack had 
always helped out with their father's living expenses. He also 
resented the seeming lack of support Bob Sr. had for his son's 
profession as an illustrator. 

This all changed, though, after Bob came across a large 
scrapbook his father had kept, which contained innumer- 
able articles and clippings of his son's work. Needless to say, 
it was bittersweet for dad to finally learn that his own father 
actually did admire what it was that he was doing for a living, 
especially after so many years of thinking that he was com- 
pletely disinterested. Adding to that was when Bob learned 
that his father would take money from his Social Security 
check every month and buy any magazines he could find that 
contained his son's illustrations. 



Color sketch for Camelot, 1967. Gouache. 



1 8 Illustration 




Original key art for Camelot, 1967. Gouache. 



Illustration 19 





Esquire illustration, 1961. Charcoal. 



SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 

Bob's relationship with Sports Illustrated also began in the 
'60s after making contact with Richard Gangel, the longtime 
art director for the magazine. The relationship Bob had with 
the magazine would prove fruitful over the years, provid- 
ing him the opportunity to travel extensively while covering 
a variety of high profile — and sometimes exotic — sporting 
events. One of these memorable experiences came in 1964 
when he was commissioned to go on safari with the Shah 
of Iran as they hunted for ibex (mountain goats). Before 
leaving for the trip, Bob had to take horseback riding lessons 
in order to be properly trained for the seventeen day journey. 

Upon arriving in Iran, Bob soon learned that the entire 
trip was intended to be ridden bareback. However, after 
several discussions with the leaders of the hunting party, 
he convinced them to allow him the use of a saddle. Even 
still, Bob found it hard to keep up with the pace of the 
riders, and found himself falling further and further behind. 
Worse yet, his companions never looked back to see where 
he was or whether he was following along. After a success- 
ful hunt, Bob was urged to take part in the traditional ritual 
of draining and drinking the blood of the slain ibex. Not 
wanting to offend the Shah, he took sips of the blood, and 
then got sick behind a bush afterwards. When the group 




Esquire illustration, 1961. Acrylic. 



slept at the palace overnight, Bob found it hard to sleep due 
to the persistent crunching noises he heard all around him. 
When he asked one of the party members what the cause of 
the noise was, he was told that it was the sound of termites 
eating their way through the palace walls. Upon returning 
to America, Bob came down with dysentery and was hospi- 
talized. Nonetheless, he appreciated the opportunity to go 
wherever Sports Illustrated would send him over the years. 

In fact, another SI opportunity presented itself to Bob 
Peak in 1969 for Super Bowl III. That year, the legendary 
Joe Namath and the New York Jets of the AFL squared off 
against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts on January 12. 
In the week leading up to the game, "Broadway" Joe Namath 
issued his bold prediction that his team would triumph over 
the team with Johnny Unitas behind center. Dad had the 
opportunity to roam the Jets' sidelines during the game, 
taking full advantage of his press pass. With more than 
enough material to work with, he returned to his studio 
to work up a series of sketches, spending many exhausting 
hours trying to head in the right direction. Using gouache 
on medium board, he then did a series of finished illustra- 
tions incorporating vibrant colors of red, yellow, blue, and 
green. The article on Super Bowl III appeared alongside 
dad's illustrations in the magazine. 



This illustration for the Esquire magazine article "Sport's Greatest Event - Ritual Spectacle of 

the Heavyweight Championship" won the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Award in 1961. Acrylic. 



Illustration 21 





ON THIS PAGE: Comprehensive sketches for Rollerball, 1975. Conte crayon. 



THE 1970s 



The next decade would see Bob continue to do a wide range of poster 
art for some of the biggest feature films of that time. With each successive 
project, it became more apparent that Bob was the "go to" guy when it 
came to creating dynamic movie art that could engage the public and 
capture their imagination. 

Tailoring his craft to suit each assignment, Bob would say, "There are many 
factors to take into consideration (when creating movie art): the selling 
factor, the star quality, and contractual relationships, just to name a few." 
Bob focused on the qualities of each particular film when creating the art for 
it and how it related to its marketing. If the film was a period piece, the art 
would not necessarily reflect the look of that period, since it "would probably 
kill it." For a movie that was star driven, he would create a piece that 
portrayed that actor's importance. And for a James Bond movie, he focused 
on the peripheral elements that define the story. 

In 1975, Bob received the opportunity to work on the upcoming United 
Artists' release Rollerball, directed by Norman Jewison and starring James 
Caan. As part of his research, Bob was sent to Germany for two and a half 
weeks to work on preliminary sketches before returning to his studio to 
complete the illustrations. He spent every day on the set working on the 
sketches, and at night he would frequent the local German restaurants, 
occasionally meeting up with Jewison and cast members to unwind from 
the tight shooting schedule. 

When Bob was once asked how he went about doing promotional work for 
a film, he said: "I try not to work from stills whenever possible. I get a script 
and usually see a screening. I may spend a week around the set, talking with 
the director and actors to get a c feel' for the movie." Harvey Kahn would then 
draw up a budget and time frame for Bob to complete the sketches in his 
studio. During this phase, it always started off as a series of preliminary black 
and white sketches. "The ideas for these sketches would come in one of two 
ways — either right away or by working them out. The way to find a solution 
is to start working. Then one idea leads to another," he said. 

When Bob returned to his studio after leaving the Rollerball set in 
Germany, he completed a series of ten watercolor paintings depicting various 
action scenes from the film. These paintings were later reproduced in a 
limited edition portfolio, and awarded an Award of Merit from the Society 



X Original key art for Rollerball, 1975. Gouache and pastel. 







Color sketch for The Missouri Breaks, 1976. Conte crayon and sepia ink. 



Color sketch for The Missouri Breaks, 1976. Conte crayon and sepia ink. 



of Illustrators. For the finished key art, which also received 
an Award of Merit, Bob painted a 50" x 40" piece in gouache 
entitled "Future Shock." 

United Artists once again sent work Bob's way in 1976 
for the upcoming film release The Missouri Breaks, starring 
Jack Nicholson and the incomparable Marlon Brando. The 
experience of working on Missouri Breaks would make an 
impression on him in many ways. The first was his trip to 
Montana: "I went to Montana and loved it. I loved getting 
away from New York, and, in a sense, it was a way to revisit 
the horizons of my roots," he was quoted as saying. The 
second reason was because of his opportunity to work with 
Brando, an experience he would revisit in 1978 on the set 
of Apocalypse Now. 

Brando's trademark reputation of being "difficult" during 
filming did not escape Bob during work on Missouri Breaks. 
The star was having problems remembering his lines (a 
classic Brando trait), so the crew would hang up cue cards 
out of the camera frame for him to read from. This worked 
fine until one day, in the middle of a scene, Brando stopped 
everything to tell Bob that his sketching was ruining his 
concentration and had to stop. Bob discontinued his sketch- 
ing for the remainder of the shoot and ended up going back 
home with very little to work with. Nevertheless, Bob drew 
up an inexhaustible number of crayon and charcoal sketches 
on textured and rice paper. From these, Bob did a final 52" 
x 40" watercolor and pastel painting on fiberglass canvas 
depicting the heads of Brando and Nicholson. 




.tLOiV * JACK 
URANDQ NICHOLSON 

"VIE MISSOURI 

UUVilW-JIlUK 

■ irv. I HM 

■ it--.. ■ • i s-nr 





One sheet poster for The Missouri Breaks, 1976. 



Original key art for The Missouri Breaks, 1976. 40" x 52", gouache and pastel. 



Illustration 25 




Original art for Time magazine cover, 1975. Watercolor and pastel. 



26 Illustration 




Time, January 12, 1970. Time, August 23, 1971. 



TIME MAGAZINE 

In addition to his movie work, Bob would also begin 
a fruitful relationship with Time magazine in the 1970's, 
creating some of the nation's most memorable cover 
illustrations — 45 in all. Bob's first job for Time was a rush 
assignment done on Christmas Day, 1969, of the country 
rock group "The Band." For the illustration, he worked up a 
series of pencil and pastel idea sketches, eventually turning 
two of them into finished illustrations. David Merill, art 
director at Time, had the luxury of being able to choose from 
two different pieces for the cover. The picture was eventually 
used on the cover of the January 12, 1970 issue of the 
magazine. From that point on, Bob always made two finished 
illustrations for every cover he made for Time. 

When working on Time covers, Bob always used photos 
taken of his subjects, yet never copied the pictures exactly. 
"I change things... I make my own shadows, for instance," 
he said. Almost a year after his portrait of "The Band," 
Bob received the assignment to paint a cover illustration 
of Mother Teresa for the December 27, 1970 issue. This 
painting, along with those he made of Anwar Sadat and 
Marlon Brando, are now part of The Smithsonian Institute's 
permanent collection. 

Bob later said of the Mother Teresa project: "This was the 
best experience I've ever had with a portrait. I related so 
strongly to the character of this wonderful woman and it 
was almost a religious act to paint it. I did two versions and 
couldn't make a wrong stroke. It was painted in a transparent 
watercolor, which can so easily go awry, but everything I laid 
down went into position just right. I'd almost finished it late 
in the afternoon, (but) when I saw it the next morning, the 
light was streaming in from the window right across from 
the painting. I got a chill up my spine, called up my wife and 
told her about it. It's the only time I've had an experience 
like that, but I'm convinced that I wasn't the only one who 
guided the brush on that picture — it had to be the influence 
of the character of that extraordinary lady." Others must 
have shared that sentiment, because the watercolor portrait 
of Mother Teresa later received an Award of Merit from the 
Society of Illustrators. 




Time, January 22, 1973. Time, June 23, 1975. 




Original art for Time magazine cover, 1970. Watercolor. 



Other illustrations Bob did for Time throughout the '70s 
included such notable names as Richard Nixon, Juan and 
Isabelita Peron, House Leader Thomas "Tip" O'Neil, Joni 
Mitchell, and Henry Kissinger. 



Illustration 27 



TWA menu cover, "Las Vegas", 1973. 



TWA 

In 1973, Charles Butler Associates commissioned my father 
to do a series of murals for the backs of the TWA movie 
screens. Charles Butler, a renowned 20th Century designer 
of British and American commercial aviation interiors, was 
retained by TWA between 1970 and 1975 to serve as a con- 
sultant on the refurbishment of their entire fleet. This project 
included all of their DC-9s, Conair-88s, Boeing 727s, 770s, 
747s, Lockheed LlOlls, and a new scheme for their 727s. 

The four mural decorations Bob was assigned to paint 
would depict the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and 
North America. They would be reproduced in silk screen, 
each measuring 35" x 83". Upon completion, the murals 
would be placed in front of each section throughout the 
aircraft. Because of the unique silk screen reproduction, Bob 
knew he had to treat each mural with flat colors and large 
decorative shapes. The murals would later be produced into 
a special "Limited Edition" series of 16" x 38" lithographs, 
personally autographed by the artist. TWA's Ambassador In 
Flight Magazine also ran an article entitled "Art Gallery in 
the Sky" on the art of Bob Peak. 

The murals met with rave reviews from Charles Butler 
Associates and TWA, which led dad to do a series of 
menu covers for the airline. Each menu cover was done to 
represent one of the major world cities. He continued to 



produce artwork for other TWA publications like the 
Getaway Adventures guides with their wrap-around cover 
designs. This artwork was more sophisticated and subtle 
than the murals, but kept with the basic design scheme and 
look that Bob had produced from the original four murals. 
Over a period of two years, dad illustrated 60 pieces for 
TWA. These works gave him a tremendous amount of 
exposure, and enabled him to receive broader media 
exposure from such publications as North Light magazine 
and Communication Arts. 




TWA Getaway Adventures magazine cover, 1973. 



28 Illustration 




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Original oil on cavas entitled "Custer", 1976. This painting won an Award of Merit from the Society of Illustrators in 1977. 



THE OLD WEST 

Bob Peak's love of the old west was instilled early in his 
Colorado childhood. His grandmother Kate Belle Coblenz 
was enamored with Buffalo Bill — because she knew him 
personally. Bob would later say, "We used to have picnics 
by Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain. I remember 
my grandmother standing with her in front of his grave. 
I remember the story of when she met Bill Cody in Hays 
City, Kansas. . . and I remember her saying that Buffalo Bill 
was the greatest man she ever knew." 

When she died in Denver, Colorado at the age of 98, her 
will instructed that her body be cremated and the ashes 
spread over the grave of William Fredrick Cody. 

Over the years, Bob would read all the stories and letters of 
this legendary figure. He also read numerous books on the 
subject of the early American West and some of its famed 
and infamous characters such as Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse 
James, Billy the Kid, General George Custer, "Doc" Holiday, 
the Earp Borthers. 

This interest in the Old West was rekindled by the assign- 
ment to paint a series on the "Marlboro Man" for the Phillip 



Morris Company in the mid-1970s. Bob would do a series 
of watercolor paintings and charcoal drawings over a 
period of six years for both Marlboro and Marlboro Lights 
Cigarettes. The Marlboro campaign was both artistically 
and financially rewarding, though at times all consuming. 

Bob would also receive an assignment from Mohawk 
Paper Mills Company to advertise their Navajo Fieldstone 
Cover Paper by doing two different prespectives of his boy- 
hood idol, "Buffalo Bill" Cody in poster form. 

It was during this "Western Phase" that Bob would 
embark in a direction of creating a series of oil, watercolor, 
pastel and charcoal gallery paintings depicting scenes and 
characters from the early American West. These large gallery 
paintings would have names like "The Hunting Party", 
"The Last Great Scout", "Indian Dancers", "General Custer", 
and "Buffalo Bill Cody". 

THE ILLUSTRATORS WORKSHOP 

In the summer of 1976, Bob would participate in a unique 
program called the "Illustrators Workshop." The one month 
long workshop was designed to offer an intensive learning 



30 Illustration 



Original art for a Marlboro Cigarettes advertisement, 1974. Watercolor on paper. >► 




r 




Original art for a Marlboro Cigarettes advertisement, 1974. Watercolor on paper. 



32 Illustration 



Original oil on cavas entitled "The Hunting Party", 1985. 

experience as an introduction into the field of professional illus- 
tration. Six of America's greatest contemporary illustrators designed 
the course — Bernie Fuchs, Mark English, Bob Heindel, Fred Otnes, 
and Bob Peak himself — and were collectively able to persuade 
Michael J. Smollin, a fellow colleague with extensive advertising and 
management experience, to serve as managing director. Alan E. Cober 
acted as the group's functionary president. 

By the 1970s, the dynamics of the commercial art world of 
the '40s, '50s, and '60s had changed drastically. In earlier years, 
the apprenticeship stage had served as an important role in the 
development of many of the country's most outstanding artists. 
Up-and-coming illustrators during the '50s were able to hone their 
skills by working in the bullpens of any number of large art studios, 
with direct contact with many of their heroes. By contrast, the '70s 
saw many young newcomers lost on their own, lacking the direction 
or connections to truly support themselves in their profession. Places 
like the Cooper Studio, Chaite Studio and others ceased to exist, 
and the entire commercial art field underwent significant changes. 
The Illustrators Workshop sought to provide an effective way for the 
budding commercial artist to make the transition from student painter 
to practicing professional in the modern era. 

"It's a frustrating, bewildering period to make the transition from 
school or working in a studio into this rough, tough marketplace," 




Original art for a Marlboro Cigarettes advertisement, 1974. 
Watercolor on paper. 

Illustration 33 



Original art for a Marlboro Cigarettes advertisement, 1974. Watercolor on paper. 




Original art for a Marlboro Cigarettes advertisement, 1974. 
Watercolor on paper. 



Bob commented. "Here you've got six seasoned veterans 
ready to help you, to explain this thing to you, and to (help) 
get you going. 

"If only I could have had that when I came to New York," 
Bob said. "Imagine having Robert Fawcett, Austin Briggs, Al 
Parker, and Harold Von Schmidt to talk to and critique my 
drawings. Wouldn't that have been something?" 

The program consisted of two segments: a seminar portion 
and a workshop portion. The seminar was designed as a week- 
long series of lectures by various instructors from leading mag- 
azines: graphic designers, art directors, sellers, and illustrators. 
They included such guest speakers as Art Paul, art director at 
Playboy magazine; Eugene Light, art director at Warner Books; 
and Harvey Kahn. The workshop portion was devoted to work- 
ing on actual assignments, providing students with a chance 
to work under bona fide professional conditions. The students 
would be given daily individual attention from the members of 
the faculty, whether it be in the classroom or lecture hall. 

Students, in groups of twenty, were given the unique oppor- 
tunity to actually visit the studios and homes of the instructors. 
Six of the seven members had set their studio in or adjacent to 
their living quarters (Bob was the only one whose studio wasn't 
set-up in his residence). Instead, he occupied a two-floor space 
in Wesport, Connecticut. Without question, this immersion 
experience gave students an invaluable glimpse into the artists' 
personal environment, with hopes of gaining an added appreci- 
ation of how reflective it was of the work they were producing. 



34 Illustration 



Original watercolor on paper entitled "Buffalo Bill", 1985. 

Illustration 35 



Comprehensive sketch for Apocalypse Now, 1979. Graphite and watercolor. 



Comprehensive sketch for Apocalypse Now, 1979. Graphite. 



APOCALYPSE NOW 

In 1978, Bob would once again team with United 
Artists, this time receiving the assignment to help create 
the key art for the big screen adaptation of Francis Ford 
Coppola's Apocalypse Now, starring Marlon Brando, 
Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. The film was inspired 
by Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, adapted 
to fit the contemporary setting of the Vietnam War. 
As expected, there was a tremendous amount of hype 
surrounding the film, with a great deal of money, time, 
and efforted dedicated to its production. Brando alone 
was being paid one million dollars a week for the effort. 

Before beginning work, Bob had the chance to meet 
with Coppola to get a feel for the picture and to better 
define what it was that the director was looking for. The 
sentiment was that Coppola wanted to make an event 
of the film, and to that effect Bob created five final 
promotional paintings. To get to this point, the artist 
spent countless hours working up a series of 18" x 24" 
black and white sketches. These studies evaluated the 
overall layout and helped Bob firm up his design ideas 
for the finished paintings. 

"This is an exceptional visual film, and required an 
image with a specific felling," Bob Peak said of Apocalypse 
Now. A theme that he returned to throughout his art 
for the film was based on his opinion that "Brando has 
a marvelous head." That's why, on completion of the 





f 









Art for Apocalypse Now, 1979. 30" x 40", watercolor and gouache. 



Original key art for Apocalypse Now, 1979. 30" x 40", watercolor and gouache on museum board. 



Illustration 37 









Color comprehensive art for Apocalypse Now, 1979. Pastel. 

preliminary sketches, Bob decided that Brando's head 
would be the centerpiece of his composition. The smaller 
heads of Duvall and Sheen would surround Brando's, with 
the burning red sun separating them. On one of the other 
finished pieces, Bob would do Brando's head with an image 
of the boat headed down the river. Coppola, however, 
insisted that the bridge be included as well, so another 
painting was done with the bridge below Brando's head and 
the boat headed down the river. 

Finally, after everything was complete and Bob had 
produced the final five paintings, Coppola and Duvall's 
differences on the set finally reached a boiling point. At 
Coppola's instruction, Bob was forced to remove Robert 
Duvall's image from all of the paintings. 

All of the final images were painted in watercolor and 
gouache on stretched watercolor paper, and measured 
34" x 44". Bob tried to keep the watercolor paintings trans- 
parent as long as he could so that he could use pastels or 
airbrush to create flares and feather things out. "It seemed 
to work like magic," he said. Bob then finished off the 
paintings with a coat of acrylic matte medium to separate 
layers of paint in order to develop glazes. In spite of the 
difficulties of working on Apocalypse Now, Bob would later 
tell his agent that it "was the most exciting thing (he) ever 
worked on." 



Comprehensive sketch for Apocalypse Now, 1979. Charcoal and gouache. 



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X Original art for Apocalypse Now, 1979. 40" x 30", watercolor and gouache on museum board. 



Illustration 39 




Hp**"*. 



Original art for Superman, The Movie, 1978. Pastel and gouache. 



Original key art for Superman, The Movie, 1978. 34.5" x 44.5", pastel and gouache. 






Original key art for The Wiz, 1978. 34" x 42", gouache. 
Original art for The Wiz, 1978. 34" x 42", gouache. 




Original key art for HAIR, 1979. 32" x 45", gouache. 



Original art for HAIR, 1979. 30" x 40", gouache. 



GALLERY PAINTINGS 

In 1978, Bob was approached by Jack O'Grady to do a 
one man show of his work at Jack O'Grady Galleries at 
333 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Jack 
O'Grady — himself a professional photographer and gallery 
owner — had followed Bob Peak's art and career for some 
time. They had established a working relationship in 1975 
when Bob collaborated with renowned Illustrators Workshop 
members Bernie Fuchs and Mark English as part of the 
"Custer to Cochise Show" at the O'Grady Galleries in April 
of that year. The show proved to be a huge success, with all 
of Bob's paintings selling out quickly. 

As a commercial illustrator, Bob had always said, "You are 
hired to solve someone else's problem and to please your 
client. I love it. That's what I always wanted to be, even as a 
little kid, and I am well suited for it. When I get a problem, 
I analyze it for what it is, and what I should do to solve the 
problem." With his fine arts paintings, Bob would work to 
solve his own problem and please himself. He would say, 
"Once you get a taste of painting what you want and selling 
it, that's great." 

Over the years, despite his heavy work schedule, Bob had 
always found the time each year to do a certain number of 
fine arts paintings for himself. The opportunity to do a one 
man show was something he had been working towards 
for some time. He would later say, "I did it because I had 
to do it." The show, entitled "People, Places & Things: The 
Art of Robert Peak," had its opening on April 18, 1978. The 



show consisted of some 20 paintings, sketches, and Peak's 
first lithograph. Bob Peak's paintings would include "Cathy 
with Cat", a watercolor portrait measuring 36" x 24" of a 
young girl sitting innocently on the ground with her cat. 
Surrounding her are beautifully muted green budding 
summer flowers and trees with delicate splashes of yellow 
and purple colors to enhance the enchanted setting. He 
named the painting after my sister, who sat for him. 

Like all painters and illustrators, Bob studied the works 
of many renowned artists. The list of artists that dad 
admired included such painters as Robert Henri, John Singer 
Sargent, Egon Shiele and Nicolai Fechin. For the O'Grady 
Gallery Show, Bob would do a number of portraits of these 
famous artists. 

One of the works was a pencil sketch measuring 30" x 40" 
of Robert Henri standing, full figure, body positioned almost 
sideways to the viewer, with one hand in his pocket and the 
other hand hanging from his vest pocket. The sketch shows 
Bob's strong use of line, and detailed in the focal areas of 
Henri's vest and head with portions of the arms, shoulders, 
and legs outlined only with pencil — revealing little or no 
detail. Bob would do a second painting on Henri using the 
same pose, only this time the piece was done with oil on 
paper. He added a potted plant and partial wall behind him 
to give a sense of depth and added color. He left the right 
side of the painting blank with only the brown color of the 
paper showing. 

Bob was an ardent admirer of the work of Egon Schiele, 



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1967 Famous Artists Course featuring hundreds of images and instruction by 
Bob Peak and Bernie Fuchs. 



Original mixed media work entitled "White Lady". 32" x 40", 



Illustration 47 



Original oil on museum board entitled "Portrait of Robert Henri", 1978. 20" x 25". 



48 Illustration 




Original oil on canvas painting entitled "Portrait of John Singer Sargent", 1988. 40" x 30" 



the Austrian born artist who would die tragically in 1918 
at the age of 28. Throughout his life, Schiele was portrayed 
as a troubled artist who made eroticism one of his major 
themes (and was briefly imprisoned for obscenity in 1912.) 
Schiele was obsessed with his own appearance and made a 
large number of self-portraits. Bob would paint a revealing 
watercolor entitled "Portrait of Egon Schiele ," measuring 
24" x 36" showing the artist, hands in his pockets, admiring 
himself in a full length mirror. We see only a glimpse of his 
face in the foreground image, and it is in the mirror that 
Bob reveals the true character of his subject. To the artist's 
left, stacked against the wall, are a few of his finished and 
unfinished paintings. 

Bob would also complete two portraits of John Singer 
Sargent for the O'Grady Galleries Show. He was the most 
influential artist in Bob's fine arts work and was the one 
artist he most admired and talked about. I can remember as 
a college student, my father giving me a large John Singer 
Sargent book as a Christmas gift. He was so enamored with 
this artist and his beautiful work he was hoping to pass along 
some of this enthusiasm to me. I eventually read the book 



and studied the images, and have come to appreciate this 
great artist. 

The two pieces Bob completed on Sargent portray the 
artist seated on a couch dressed in what appears to be a 
three piece suit, holding a distinguished pose with his right 
hand on his hip. His other hand is holding a lit cigarette, 
hand pointed upwards. One piece was done with charcoal 
on paper measuring 30" x 40", my personal favorite. Here, 
he portrays Sargent's flamboyant character, working with 
the charcoal in a feathery way. "It's a virtuoso kind of thing," 
my dad would say. The second painting, an oil on paper, 
measured 25" x 20". Only now, Bob had included a vase of 
flowers in the foreground underneath Sargent's left hand 
holding the cigarette. With most of Sargent's body in 
shadow, we only see into portions of his face with his left 
hand holding up the cigarette. A candelabrum positioned 
behind the couch throws off flares of golden light. All of 
these elements lend to the mood of the painting. 

A show of Bob Peak's fine arts paintings would not be 
complete without images of the Old West. For the O'Grady 
Show, Bob would paint portraits of three colorful figures 



Illustration 49 




Original oil on canvas entitled "Robert Henri with Unidentified Woman", 1987. 40" x 63". 



50 Illustration 



from this era, "Mountain Man ," "Last of the Great Scouts ," 
and "Buffalo Bill." "Mountain Man" was a pastel painting 
measuring 30" x 40". This is one of my favorite Western 
paintings ever done by my father. "Last of the Great Scouts," 
a watercolor measuring 24" x 36", was inspired by the daring 
cavalry scouts who would precede a regiment to scout out 
an area for possible danger. Bob Peak's portrait of "Buffalo 
Bill" was another watercolor painting measuring 22" x 30". 
This legendary figure would be sketched and painted by Bob 
several times over the years. This painting would show us the 
influence in his work of yet another painter, Nicolai Fechin, 
the Russian artist who came into prominence in the early 
1900s. Fechin would land in New York in 1923, later 
moving to the dryer climate of Taos, New Mexico in 1927 
to help with the tuberculosis that he had developed while 
living in New York. In Taos, he became part of the great 
Southwestern art movement. It is these images of the Pueblo 
Indians and his charcoal drawings that heavily influenced 
much of Peak's own charcoal paintings. 

The O' Grady Galleries Show proved to be quite a success 
and spurred Bob on to create more fine art pieces. In the 
'80s, he began turning his attention to painting pictures of 
elegant women and couples in romantic settings. Constantly 
searching for new means of self-expression, Bob turned 
inward to his own heart and soul, producing paintings unlike 
any we had seen from him in the past. He gave these paint- 
ings names like "A Fine Romance," "Stardust Dance," "Silver 



Mist," "Circles and Triangles," "Spring into Summer," "Robert 
Henri with Unidentified Woman," and "Rapture." He would 
not rest his palette with these works, though. Paintings like 
"Medusa," "Black Thunder," "Blue Vase," and "The Other 
Bridge" would also be done, giving us variations to his sub- 
ject matter. Bob would also give us a rare landscape painting 
titled "After Monet," an exquisite oil painting different in 
style than any he had done before. Though scarce in number, 
these paintings represented a lifetime of learning and experi- 
ences; his feelings expressing the joys, sorrows, and wonders 
of life. 

Though Bob would continue with his illustration work 
into the 1980s and '90s, fine arts painting would become 
more important and prevalent with each passing year. 

A MOVE TO ARIZONA 

In the summer of 1977, after many years residing on the 
east coast in New York and then Connecticut, Bob Peak 
once again yearned for the wide open spaces, blue skies and 
milder winters. He decided to move out west to Scottsdale, 
Arizona with his wife Lucille and set up a new residence. At 
the time, our mother was not too thrilled with the prospect 
of moving from Greenwich, Connecticut where they had 
established roots and where she had formed friendships that 
had lasted throughout the years. She gave in, however, and 
began packing up all their belongs and arranging everything 
for the movers. As an added chore, they both had to close 



tramim iilumtiom 



DAM Ed, inUva AND MAY 11 



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AUKUINAIKE 






Illustration 51 



Original watercolor on paper entitled "Cathi with Cat", 1978. 36" x 24", 




"Circles and Triangles", 1986. 46" x 78". Oil on canvas. 



down Bob's studio right off the Saugutuck River in Westport, Connecticut 
which was a task in itself, considering all the years he had worked there. 
They also had to concern themselves with all his reference materials and 
files of illustrations that needed to be transported out to Arizona. 

Our parents had taken several trips out to Scottsdale ahead of time 
to look for a place to set up their residence and his studio. They chose 
a home still under construction in what was, at that time, considered 
North Scottsdale, located in a gated community with swimming pool, 
tennis courts and clubhouse for its residents. After selling their house 
in Greenwich, Bob and his wife moved temporarily to The Greenwich 
Country Club while their new home in Scottsdale was being completed. 
Earlier that year, our mother had not been feeling well. She was diagnosed 
with cancer and had surgery. We had all believed she was on her way to 
a full recovery, but would later find out differently. Once in Arizona, Bob 
set up a temporary studio attached to the main house. The working space 
was smaller than he was accustomed to, but made do for now. He would 
later move his studio to a commercial space near the Scottsdale Airport. 

Bob Peak's reputation established over the many years afforded him the 
luxury of living where he wanted. He did tell me though, he thought their 
move to Arizona made his agent Harvey Kahn somewhat nervous, as I'm 
sure it would any artist representative. The work kept coming in, though, 
and Bob's reputation for producing great and innovative work continued. 

It was in late 1979 that our mother's battle with cancer would take a 
turn for the worst. She would pass away on December 12th, 1979 
in Los Angeles at the UCLA medical clinic. Our father, myself, my 
sister Catherine and brothers Robert and Matthew and all the family 
would be present. 



52 Illustration 




Original oil on canvas entitled "Early Summer", 1978. 40" x 30". 



Our father was devastated by the loss of our mother. 
Over the next few years, he would experience a difficult 
time adjusting to life without his soul mate. We all did 
our best to console him during this tragic period, at the 
same time grieving with our own loss. His agent and 
friend Harvey Kahn showed great understanding in 
backing off the job assignments. Slowly, as his zest for 
life returned, Harvey began approaching him with work. 
Our father would eventually return to a busy work 
schedule, but the absence of our mother would leave a 
void in his heart, never to be replaced again. 

Eventually, Bob would sell his home in Scottsdale, 
Arizona and move further north out Scottsdale Road 
to the community of Carefree. In Carefree, overlooking 
the valley, he would set up a much larger residence that 
included a swimming pool and guest house. He would 
close down his studio by the Scottsdale Airport and 
move everything back to his home, where he set up 
his studio in the guest house with most of his files 
and reference materials finding a home in one of the 
spacious three door garage areas. 




"The Other Bridge", 1990. Oil on canvas. This was Bob Peak's last fine arts painting. 



Illustration 53 




THE 1980s 



In the last full decade of his life, Bob Peak stood at the top 
of his profession as one of the most imaginative and highly 
sought-after illustrators in the country. The industry, though, 
was now caught in the midst of change. A good portion of 
illustrative assignments were starting to give way to pho- 
tography and specialty houses. These firms were — and still 
are — able to put together several elements into a single piece, 
giving art directors finished work at a fraction of the cost 
and time it would take an illustrator to complete the same 
assignment. Despite this apparent move within the advertis- 
ing industry, Bob Peak's reputation for producing new and 
innovative work continued to put him in a position of high 
demand by major advertising agencies and clients. 

In the movie industry, where Bob Peak had established 
his reputation for his unique and innovative work, he was 
continually sought after to produce key art for many of the 
major films being produced throughout the 1980s and '90s. 
Bob would also be commissioned to work on such major 
projects as the U.S. Postal Service Olympic Stamp assign- 
ment, the 1984 Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the 
fifteen year anniversary of the Special Olympics, the 1988 
Indianapolis 500, and a commission for Miller Brewing 
Company. 

In 1980, my sister Catherine and I had the opportunity 
to experience some of the environment surrounding the 
Illustrators Workshop with which my dad had been a part of 
for several years. Just a few months before this, our mother 
had passed away, and it was at our father's suggestion that we 
accompany him to France where he would be taking part in 
the latest session of the Workshop. Naturally, my sister and I 
jumped at the chance, quickly gathering together our pass- 
ports to catch a flight to Paris to meet up with our dad. 

Neither of us had — before then — visited Europe, and, 
needless to say, we both had a great time. Initially, the inten- 
tion was to have me help out at the Workshop with setting 
up slide presentations and assist with whatever else was 
needed for our father or the other illustrators involved. 
Unfortunately, on my first day at the lectures, some of the 
students objected to my being there, saying that I had not 
paid to be a part of the classes and that it wasn't fair that 
I participate. My interests were, in fact, not to become 
an illustrator, but only to be of assistance during the day. 
Nevertheless, I excused myself from any further classroom 
involvement after that. 

My sister and I spent our time in Paris visiting the vari- 
ous museums and sights during the day. In the evening, our 
father would take us to hook up for dinner and drinks with 
Mike Smollin and the other illustrators and their wives. 
We would sit and talk for hours at any number of the differ- 
ent restaurants and bistros in the city. It was such an enjoy- 
able experience, and everyone present was extremely nice to 
my sister and myself. They were a great group of people to be 
around, and I had been enamored by all of their work over 
the years. I was especially fond of Bernie Fuchs' work. 



In fact, I still have one of his paintings of a bullfighter hang- 
ing in my dining room at home. 

When time permitted, my father would take us over to 
the Musee de Louvre, Musee d Orsay, Cathedral of Notre 
Dame, and may other remarkable sites around Paris. Dad 
was in awe of the work done by the great European Masters 
like Philippe de Champaigne, Antonella da Messina, 
Leonardo da Vinci, and other great artists. We learned a 
great deal about them from our father. Dad was not just 
an artist himself, but a student of these and other great 
painters like Toulouse Lautrec, Renoir, Matisse, and 
Van Gogh, just to name a few. He knew so much about so 
many of these great painters, he would later tell us that 
"visiting the Louvre can sure bring things into perspective 
when assessing one's own work." Though the Paris 
experience came at a difficult time for all of us, it was an 
educational experience that I will cherish forever. 




Bob Peak with Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 1983. 

THE SPIRIT OF SPORT 

Throughout an artist's career, occasionally an assignment 
comes along that holds much more significance then being 
just another project. In 1983, Bob Peak would receive such 
an assignment when he was commissioned to produce six 
paintings for reproduction into a limited edition series of 
original lithographs to commemorate the 15th Anniversary 
of the Special Olympics. 

The Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice 
Kennedy Shriver, honorary chairperson. Her husband, 
Sargent Shriver, is chairman of the board, and Timothy P. 
Shriver, Ph.D. now serves as president and CEO. The Special 
Olympics were designed to provide people with mental 
retardation an opportunity to develop fitness, demonstrate 
their courage, and experience the joy of competition as they 
participate and share in friendship with fellow athletes. 
"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the 
attempt." These words are the oath honoring those athletes 
who participate in these Special Olympics. 

Bob Peak's first task was to choose six athletes exemplifying 
the characteristics of courage, spirit, and self-determination 
which are the hallmarks of the Special Olympics. 



*K Original key art for Every Which Way You Can, 1980. 34" x 42", Pastel, gouache and acrylic. 



Illustration 55 




Bob Peak with Howard Cosell, Wilt Chamberlain and Frank Gifford. 

These individuals would be more then just outstanding 
athletes; each would transcend their chosen sport by 
exemplifying qualities of compassion, selflessness, and a 
willingness to improve the lives of others. Bob chose Frank 
Gifford, Chris Everet Lloyd, Joe DiMaggio, Jack Nicklaus, 
Pele, and Wilt Chamberlain as his subjects. Each of these 
fine athletes would then work with Bob Peak to select their 
qualities to be represented, as expressed in their own words. 

Instead of creating his images from the actual world of 
sports, Bob chose to symbolize each athlete's special qualities 
as embodied in the world of nature. For Frank Gifford, Bob 
painted a scene of trees whose leaves have changed with the 



autumn season. Reflected through the image are small scenes 
of children at play. The autumn symbolizes the football 
season, and the children the joy of sport and competition. 
"The greatest thing about sport is the memory of having been 
there" — Frank Gifford. 

For his painting reflecting the spirit, compassion, and 
commitment to excellence as shown by Chris Everet 
Lloyd, Bob painted a wintery scene of white birch trees 
surrounded by an icy snow- filled ground. In the foreground 
are beautiful yellow flowers refusing to yield to the winter 
chill. This painting symbolizes the athlete herself full of 
self determination, persisting even in the face of adversity. 
"Sometimes I think I grew up faster from losing than from 
winning" — Chris Everet Lloyd. 

A solitary runner illuminated by the radiance of a sunset, 
alone, concentrating. This is the image Bob visualized to 
represent Joe DiMaggio, a man who through his individual 
efforts and team leadership would bring out the best 
qualities in not just himself but in those who touched and 
were touched by him. These are qualities that truly express 
the meaning and spirit of the Special Olympics. "All of us 
need victories in life. . . even if they are only victories over 
ourselves." — Joe DiMaggio. 

For his painting of Jack Nicklaus and his continual 
compassion toward helping others, Bob chose a late 
afternoon setting of children at play with a ball on a green 
field of grass with rays of late afternoon sunlight filtering 




Limited edition lithograph for the Special Olympics. "The greatest thing about sport is the memory of having been there."- Frank Gifford. 



56 Illustration 



through the distant trees. Long shadows of the children 
stream across the field as day begins its slow decent into 
night. One senses, if not for their loss of light, these children 
would continue to play on forever. "To love a game, to play it, 
is the greatest joy of childhood. Only later do we learn it is one 
of the greatest joys of life." — Jack Nicklaus. 

Bob's next subject would be the legendary soccer player 
Pele. Against a magnificent sky of blue, a herd of horses led 
by their leader takes refuge against the approaching storm. 
The qualities of strength and leadership within the unity 
of teamwork as shown in this painting represent the same 
qualities Pele has shown throughout his own life. "Sport is 
health and life itself. For we come together, share fellowship, 
and discover how alike we are." — Pele. 

To portray Wilt Chamberlain — a giant even among 
athletes — Bob would paint an image of enormous cliffs 
towering over the surging waves far below as they crash 
relentlessly into massive towers. Undaunted by their 
onslaught, these towering images stand steadfast, much like 
the unshakable strength, determination, and persistence of 
Chamberlain himself. "The true spirit of sport is not how tall 
you stand nor how high you reach. It's how much you give of 
what you have to give." — Wilt Chamberlain. 

Upon completion of the six paintings, the next step was 
to take these images and reproduce them into a Limited 
Edition Series of original lithographs titled "Spirit of Sport". 
This work marked Bob Peak's first effort in the medium of 



fine art lithography. He would personally pay meticulous 
attention to every detail throughout the process from 
the original paintings to the finished production of the 
lithographs themselves. 

Working with the skilled lithographic craftsmen of the 
renowned Atelier Ettinger, Bob would give endless hours 
of his time to ensure that every nuance, line, and tone of 
his original paintings would be reproduced to perfection. 
He personally selected the finest hand-woven lithographic 
paper and hand-mixed inks. He then prepared each color 
plate for the series by hand and had final approval of each 
print that came off of the hand-fed presses. The edition 
was limited to 350 sets of lithographs. Once the run was 
completed and approved by Bob Peak, the original plates 
were then destroyed. 

In New York, Bob would attend a special ceremonial 
presentation of his original Special Olympics paintings, 
attended by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the selected athletes, 
and other sports and business dignitaries. The six Special 
Olympics paintings were unveiled to a renowned and 
enthusiastic audience. Afterwards, behind a backdrop of the 
paintings themselves, Bob had his picture taken with Eunice 
Kennedy Shriver, the athletes, and several of the attendees. 
Even the late Howard Cosell got in on some of the picture 
taking with Bob and the other sports personalities. This 
would be an assignment and an evening my dad would 
remember and cherish. 



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Illustration 57 




Downhill Skiing, 1984 Winter Olympics stamp design. United States Postal Service 1984 Summer Olympics poster. 



58 Illustration 



OLYMPIC STAMPS 

"First: It won't be all running and jumping. Second: 
Winter and summer will be represented. Third: The activities 
represented will be as accurately depicted as possible. Fourth: 
They will be well designed. Fifth: They will be colorful." 

These were the words spoken by the 17 member Citizens' 
Advisory Committee charged with the task of bringing forth 
a diverse, precise, vibrant, and attractive set of 24 stamps 
— plus four pieces of postal stationery — to honor the 1984 
Los Angeles Summer Games and the Sarajevo Winter Games. 
The Advisory Committee, however, did not make the final 
decision on which stamps are printed; they only served as 
counsel in the process. The final decision on which stamps 
were printed was in the hands of the Postmaster General. 
Serving as one of the Advisory Committees' members was 
James A. Michener, famed American novelist, essayist and 
travel book writer. 

The Advisory Committee began by conducting an exhaus- 
tive process of reviewing stamps produced for prior Olympic 
Games from 1896 through 1960. What they found was that 
564 stamps had been issued showing specific events like 
running and discus throwing, with another 131 honoring 
the games themselves without showing any specific events. 
Since 1960 the number of stamps issued had approached a 
thousand. After examining all the prior Olympic Stamps, the 
committee came to the conclusion that over the years, some 
exceptionally good stamps had been produced — and some 
poor ones as well. This Olympic Stamp review provided the 
committee with invaluable information on what to look for 
and what to avoid. 

The 1984 Summer and Winter Olympic issues would be 
the largest single commission ever given to one individual 
in designing postal stamps. The Stamp Advisory Committee 
conducted an extensive search to find the right artist who 
could display athletic authenticity, diversity, movement, 
drama, excellent drawing, and vivid color. Bob Peak was 
chosen for the assignment for his proven reputation of 
producing brilliant, colorful, and exciting images. 

At the outset of the postal assignment, Bob Peak turned 
to fellow Hall of Fame Illustrator Stevan Dohanos, who had 
served as design coordinator of the Citizen's Stamp Advisory 
Committee from 1961 to 1981. Over the years, Steve had cre- 
ated 40 stamps himself and commissioned over 300 by fellow 
artists. Steve told my father, "You'll have to think small when 
you're doing a stamp." Bob hadn't yet realized just how small 
that would be. 

The Postal Service had already made their decision on 
what Olympic events would be portrayed on the 28 stamps. 
A firm rule of the Postal Service states that no living person 
shall appear on an American stamp, and that no dead per- 
son may appear, except former Presidents, until ten years 
have passed since that person's death. Because of this, only 
a few American Olympic heroes — like Jesse Owens and Jim 
Thorpe — have qualified. 

Bob began his assignment by doing an enormous amount 
of research. He began to dig through books, articles, files 




Illustration 59 




"Golden Moments in Archery-Luann Ryon, USA", 1984. Watercolor. 



on athletes, and files on the Olympics. Bob would say, "You 
don't just put things in. You have to know what you can and 
should leave in." 

Once Bob felt he had compiled enough material to work 
from, he was ready to start on his preliminary sketches. At 
this point Bob met with Bradbury Thompson, a prominent 
graphic designer who would serve as the art director on 
the project. Thompson was also in charge of arranging the 
lettering on all the stamps. Bob felt he had to leave white 
space for the type. He felt it would be no good trying to run 
letters over a color. Bob would also have to keep within the 
Postal Service guidelines by producing his paintings small — 
7.2" x 4.2". This was because large illustrations usually have 
too much fine detail to reduce to stamp size effectively. 

Peak was used to working in a large format, sometimes 
30" x 40" or even larger. He began sketching small to 
establish some type of rhythmic flow with his hand. After 
much time and practice, he felt he had a workable style and 
began with his initial sketches on each sport represented. 
The Postal Service has selected an almost even balance of 
male to female athletes. Dad would later say, "I was careful 
to keep the uniforms entirely generic. . . no numbers, and 
no indications of national teams." 

Bob chose bands of color to help unify the stamp designs 
but still work on their own from sport to sport. At first, he 
had trouble with being consistent without totally repeating 



the band design from one stamp to the next. Fortunately, 
some of the objects depicted in several of the stamps such 
as barbells, skis, a bicycle, and a basketball helped with that 
stamp's design. He also found some difficulty when it came 
to stamps portraying team sports like soccer and volleyball. 
It was difficult to fit everything in. 

With dozens of sketches completed, Bob left his studio 
in Scottsdale, Arizona and headed to Washington, D.C. to 
Postal Service Headquarters. Once in Washington, experts 
from the Stamp Division looked over all the preliminary 
sketches and made their selections of those pieces that would 
be turned into actual stamps. Then there was a meeting with 
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to arrange for printing 
proofs and make any suggestions to improve printing qual- 
ity on any of the pieces. Next, the U.S. Olympic Committee 
was asked to provide a group of specialists from college 
teams, coaches, and Olympic competitors who could check 
the accuracy of Bob Peak's illustrations. Once changes were 
made to a few of the sketches and they were approved, Bob 
would return to his studio in Scottsdale and complete the 
finished illustrations. 

Peak would transfer his approved sketches to D'Arches 
watercolor paper and start on the finals. Some problems 
developed, though. In particular, the printing cylinder 
proofs turned up some difficulties with the colors. Bob had 
a tendency to gray-off the flesh tones. In the press, too much 



60 Illustration 



red tone re- appeared. To produce warmer flesh tones, 
Bob adjusted the scale of the colors. Finally, the finished 
illustrations were ready to go to print. He would later say, 
"When I was about halfway finished with my final illustra- 
tions, I realized this job was the smallest thing I have ever 
done, but it would have more readership than anything else 
I'd ever done. That gave me a sense of satisfaction." 

Bob Peak's twenty-four Olympic stamps and four 
postal stationery Olympic images would be printed in the 
millions and circulated worldwide. They would be treasured 
by thousands of stamp collectors and seen by countless 
future generations. 

GOLDEN MOMENTS 

The triumphant achievement of the U.S. Postal Stamp 
commission would lead to an even larger project for Bob 
Peak. Once again, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned him 
to produce a series of thirty-two watercolor paintings. These 
impressionistic paintings were to expand on the Olympic 
theme shown in the stamps. The U.S. Postal Service would 
then produce these thirty-two watercolor paintings into a 
book in 1984 titled Golden Moments. Each Olympic water- 
color painting was shown on a two -page spread with that 
event's corresponding stamp displayed actual size on the 
upper left hand side of the page. The book was dedicated 
to the late Jim Thorpe, a magnificent American athlete who 
won both the decathlon and pentathlon events in the 1912 



Olympic Games. In 1950, an Associated Press poll named 
Thorpe as the "Greatest Male Athlete of the First Half of the 
Twentieth Century." 

The Golden Moments book included a foreword by James 
Michener. The sports narrative was written by Bob Hoobing, 
New England sports editor for the Associated Press and 
sports editor of The Boston Herald. The stamp design narra- 
tive was done by David Lewis Eynon, Philadelphia advertis- 
ing executive and former general manager of the Philatelic 
Education Division of the U.S. Postal Service. 

The Olympic watercolor paintings proved to be an assign- 
ment of mammoth proportions, with a good portion of 1983 
dedicated solely to completing this unprecedented com- 
mission. The project called for depicting several celebrated 
athletes and teams who had participated in the Olympics 
throughout the years. The decision on which athletes would 
be painted was in the hands of the U.S. Postal Service. Once 
Bob knew which athletes and teams he would showcase in 
Golden Moments, he began an exhaustive amount of research 
to learn as much as he could about each of these extraordi- 
nary individuals. Bob made it a point to learn just how each 
athlete came into prominence, studying photographs of each 
athlete in competition to gain knowledge of their form and 
facial expressions. He also paid particular attention to what 
the athletes wore. It was vital that he get this information 
correct on all of his watercolor paintings. 

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Illustration 61 




assist him with some of his research into a few of the ath- 
letes and their events. I was somewhat familiar with boxing, 
weight lifting, swimming, and track and field. I did research 
for him on U.S. boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, the great Soviet 
weight lifter Vasily Alexeyev, U.S. freestyle swimmer Debbie 
Meyer, and track and field stars Edwin Moses, Al Oerter, and 
Jesse Owens. I compiled information for dad to work from 
showing these athletes performing during competition. I 
made notes as to their stances and leg and hand positions. 
Some of these notes included information on Sugar Ray 
Leonard and how he positioned his hands, legs, and torso 
right before delivering a punch. Also included was a descrip- 
tion of Al Oeter and how he distributed his body weight and 
positioned his limbs just prior to releasing the discus. On 
the Olympic sports I was not familiar with — such as fencing, 
archery, hockey, and speed skating — dad would research and 
gather his own information to work from. 

Once he felt that there was enough reference material to 
work from, Bob would produce a series of sketches until 
he felt satisfied that he had captured the right movement, 
strength, and energy he was looking for. He then took the 
sketches and worked them into a series of watercolor comps. 
Once completed, he was ready for the next step of producing 
finished watercolor paintings. 

For his finished paintings, Bob would intensify his water- 
colors and add strong lines and more detail to each piece. 



He also added more movement to each athlete, giving each 
painting increased strength and vitality. He would later say: 
"Vibrant colors (with) lines of strength and energy.... I tried 
to capture the feeling of the competition along with the 
image." He also said, "Olympic sports — perhaps unlike any 
other athletic endeavor — bring out images of grace, beauty, 
and energy." 

In all, Bob would complete thirty- two watercolor paint- 
ings. Several of these paintings hold significance beyond the 
images themselves. The painting that is probably the most 
recognizable of all the Olympic works is the one depict- 
ing the U.S. Men's Hockey Team's miraculous defeat of the 
mighty Soviet Team en route to a Gold Medal at the Lake 
Placid Winter Games in 1980. Bob captured this unforget- 
table moment using powerful, vibrant colors and a dynamic 
image of the young Americans raising their arms in victory. 

Another noteworthy Olympic watercolor was done of the 
ice dancing couple Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean. 
For more than nine years they had been amazing audiences 
worldwide with their exquisite performances. In 1984 at 
the Sarajevo Winter Olympics, while dancing to the music 
of Ravel's Bolero, they would amaze even their most ardent 
fans with a performance of a lifetime. The received a perfect 
6.0 score from all nine Olympic judges for artistic style, and 
another three 6.0's and six 5.9's for technical merit. This 
would earn the British national idols the Gold Medal. 



62 Illustration 



Bob's painting revealed the beauty of the pair skating, 
arms stretched out from their sides as they appeared to glide 
effortlessly down the ice. The illustration would evoke such a 
lasting image that Torville and Dean would later send Bob a 
video tape thanking him for painting such a beautiful, mov- 
ing image representing their performance. Dad was moved 
by the sign of appreciation. 

The painting that recognized the less-heralded Olympic 
event of fencing showed an image of Ilona Elek Hepp of 
Hungary, the most acclaimed female fencer in history. 
So great was her reputation in her sport that in 1982 she was 
elected an honorary member of the International Fencing 
Foundation. She would be the only woman ever selected 
for such an honor. Bob's powerful image of the "thrust and 
parry" between fencing combatants gave a sense of power 
and grace working as one. It appears almost to be a ballet, 
only this ballet would inevitably produce but one ultimate 
victor. The Society of Illustrators would later award Bob with 
a Gold Medal for this Olympic image. 

Several additional watercolors would include such 
notable Olympians as Russian gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, 
U.S. swimmer Debbie Meyer, Romanian gymnast Nadia 
Comenici, U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden, and Jesse Owens. 
These would be just some of the many athletes recognized 
for their supreme efforts and determination by the U.S. 
Postal Service and the Olympic Committee. 

All thirty- two original Olympic watercolor paintings 



would eventually find a permanent home at The Southland 
Corporation in Dallas, Texas, where they are on display 
throughout the entire building. Upon completion of the 
works, Southland, in the spirit of their commitment to help 
support the dreams of future Olympians, produced a limited 
edition series of prints from the paintings. Each 28" x 23" 
print was placed in a protective art folder which included a 
biography on the artist and information on the subject of the 
painting. With only a limited number available, the prints 
were offered by invitation only to a select number of indi- 
viduals and companies. 

As part of their efforts, Southland funded the construc- 
tion of the 7-Eleven Velodrome — used as the site of all U.S. 
Olympic Cycling track events. They would continue their 
benevolent support of amateur athletes by funding a second 
velodrome at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado 
Springs, Colorado. 

THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

In 1988, Bob Peak would revisit the sport of automobile 
racing with a commission by the Miller Brewing Company to 
create a commemorative painting for the 1988 Indianapolis 
500 Race. 

Bob first became fascinated with automobile racing back 
in 1966 while on location for the MGM Film Grand Prix, 
directed by John Frankenheimer, starring James Gardner, Eva 
Marie Saint, Yves Montand, and Antonio Sabato. Grand Prix 




Illustration 63 




The 1988 Indianapolis 500. 

became famous for its split screen imagery that added to the 
tension and excitement of the film. While on location, Bob 
visited some of the great street and road racing circuits of 
Europe from Monte Carlo, to Spa in Belgium, then England 
and Brands Hatch, then France and, finally, to Italy. He got 
to meet and talk with such legendary drivers as Phil Hill and 
Graham Hill. His experience working on Grand Prix started 
a love for automobile racing and exotic sports cars that 
would continue on throughout his life. 

For his oil painting, Bob would incorporate several ele- 
ments giving an image full of the pageantry and grand 
spectacle of this great American sporting event. His painting 
would blend the imagery of today's race while at the same 
time reflecting back to one of its competitors from the 1916 
Indianapolis 500. Using a beautiful sky of cumulus clouds as 
a backdrop, we see the competitors as they charge through 
turn one of the opening lap, with the Borg Warner Trophy 
handsomely displayed in the foreground. 

A limited edition series of 250 lithographs signed and 
numbered by Bob Peak were offered by the Indianapolis 
Motor Speedway. Bob Peak's original Indianapolis 500 oil 
painting was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 
Hall of Fame Museum, where it is on permanent display. 



MOVIE WORK OF THE 1980s 

Bob also continued to work on a number of movie 
campaigns throughout the '80s, including such films 
as Pennies from Heaven, Excalibur, Star Trek II, The 
Year of Living Dangerously, Star Trek III, Silverado, 
Star Trek IV, Star Trek V, and The Comfort of 
Strangers. Other films to come his way included Reds, 
The Dark Crystal, Something Wicked This Way Comes, 
lames Bond: License To Kill, and Impromptu. 

In 1981, Bob was commissioned to produce the 
Academy Players Directory for the Academy of 
Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. For this special 
project, Bob would paint a dazzling scene hearken- 
ing back to the glamour days of old Hollywood 
when such stars as Marlena Dietrich, Clark Gable, 
Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Mae West, Errol 
Flynn, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, and Fred Astaire 
could be spotted roaming the back lots and sound- 
stages of Hollywood's biggest studios, or eating lunch 
in one of the nearby restaurants. Bob's painting 
would be turned into a poster for the movie-going 
public as a reminder of the early days of Hollywood 
Babylon. 

The imagery produced by Bob Peak for Star Trek I: 
The Motion Picture back in 1978 would set the tone 
for the next four Star Trek movies. For Star Trek IT. 
The Wrath of Khan (1982), Bob would paint images 
of Captain Kirk and Spock with a much larger, 
imposing image of Ricardo Montalban looming over 
them. The unusual rock formations and the black 
cloaked figures in the distance gives the illusion that 
the crew is on a distant planet as they encounter their 
nemesis in a clash of good versus evil. Bob would 
produce several variations of this theme in both 
black and white and color. The illustration chosen as the 
final key artwork would be a tighter version of one of the 
color comp illustrations. 

The Star Trek film series continued in 1984 with the third 
installment titled Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. This 
release centered around the Vulcan character played by 
Leonard Nemoy, who also directed the film. Just as he had 
with the previous two films, Bob Peak would spend many 
hours working up black and white idea sketches. Several of 
these idea sketches were then chosen to be worked into color 
comps. His finished art produced a striking and mysterious 
image of Spock's head almost transparent against a backdrop 
of endless stars. Rays of light radiate out from him as they 
disappear into deep space. Below Spock are smaller images 
of Kirk and the other Enterprise crew members. Above, the 
Enterprise is locked in battle with a Klingon warship. 

In 1967, Bob had painted the extraordinary image for the 
film Camelot that won him a Gold Medal from the Society of 
Illustrators, the first movie painting ever to be awarded such 
a distinction. In 1981, Bob would revisit the magical time of 
knights, princesses, and sorcerers with his work on director 
John Boorman's film Excalibur. Unlike its predecessors, 



64 Illustration 



Original art for "Academy Players Directory", 1981. Watercolor. 





THG MOTION PICTURE 






Original key art for Excalibur, 1981. 32" x 38", gouache and pastel. 

Original key art for Excalibur, 1981. 34" x 42", gouache and pastel. This piece was awarded a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. 




Excalibur — based upon the novel Le Morte d' Arthur by 
Sir Thomas Mallory — would present a much more realistic 
version of the story of King Arthur. Its fight sequences in 
particular were much more realistic than any of the earlier 
films about King Arthur and his kingdom. 

For this film, Orion Pictures envisioned a campaign 
consisting of not one, but five finished illustrations used to 
capture the audience's interest. Bob went straight to work 
exploring the different facets of the picture. He worked 
exhaustively to come up with idea sketches built around 
the themes in the movie. He then took these sketches and 
developed color comps which, ultimately, would become 
the five illustrations representing the film. Using gouache 
and pastels on museum board, Bob painted a series of five 
finished illustrations, painting variations on several of the 
pieces. One illustration shows the passion and romance 
of Sir Lancelot and Lady Gueniver in a lover's embrace. A 
second painting gives the unforgettable image of the sword 
Excalibur, rising with all its magnificence from the sea. 
Two knights clashing in battle conjures an image of two 
factions fighting for control of one kingdom. The looming, 
all-powerful image of the grand wizard Merlin would win 
Bob a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators, and the 
final finished key art presents an image of all the preceding 
illustrations in a single montage painting. 

Original key art for Excalibur, 1981. 32" x 40", gouache and pastel. 



7 




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Original key art for Excalibur, 1981. 32" x 40", gouache and pastel. 



Illustration 71 



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One sheet poster for The Comfort of Strangers, 1990. 

A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT 

On June 26, 1992, some thirty years after Bob had first 
arrived on the Hollywood scene with his innovative and 
electrifying work on West Side Story, he was honored as 
the recipient of the "Key Art Lifetime Achievement Award," 
presented by The Hollywood Reporter for his enormous 
contributions to the film industry. 

Tony Curtis — legendary star of such movies as Spartacus, 
Some Like It Hot, and The Defiant Ones — hosted the 
standing-room-only crowd of over 600 invited guests. 
Curtis listed some of the great movie posters throughout 
the decades, and expounded on the influence "key art" had 
played on the film industry over the years. Afterward, he 
introduced one of the evenings many presenters, including 
some of the movie industry's most prominent executives. 

Beau Bridges, film and television star and member of the 
talented Bridges family, was given the honor of presenting 
the award to my father. Bob was only the second individual 
in the 21 -year history of the awards ceremony to be chosen 
by the advisory panel for such an honor. Only the late Saul 
Bass, who had worked with such great directors as Alfred 
Hitchcock, Martin Scorcese, and Otto Preminger was 
recognized with such an award for his work in key art. 

After his introduction, the audience was treated to a 
presentation of Bob Peak's film work starting in 1961 



74 Illustration 




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Preliminary study for The Comfort of Strangers, 1990. 

and ending with The Comfort of Strangers. It was in the 
following year, 1991, that Bob would work on his final 
movie, Impromptu. Appropriately enough, both The 
Comfort of Strangers and Impromptu — the last two films 
Bob worked on — were both done for Don Smolen, with 
whom Bob had worked on so many memorable campaigns 
over the years. The artwork for the film Impromptu, 
starring Hugh Grant, Judy Davis, and Mandy Patinkin, 
was left unfinished, having gone no further than a series of 
black and white study sketches. 

As Bob stood at the podium that night to accept the 
Lifetime Achievement award, he was overwhelmed with 
emotion. He could not help but look back on all the 
years of countless projects, long hours, and innumerable 
sacrifices he made to help him to realize his dream of 
becoming a respected professional illustrator. The evening 
proved to be a moving tribute to a man who over the years 
earned the title of "Father of the American Movie Poster." 
The evening held special significance for myself and my 
siblings as all four of us were in the crowd that night, along 
with Bob's longtime friend and agent Harvey Kahn and 
wife Isabelle. Later, we would all have dinner together, with 
much of the weekend being in each other's company. Sadly, 
it would also be the last time our father and all four of his 
children would be assembled together. 






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Illustration 75 



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EPILOGUE 

Just a little over a month after my father received 
his Lifetime Achievement award, he passed away on 
August 1, 1992 at Scottsdale Memorial North Hospital 
in Arizona as the result of a brain hemorrhage suffered 
in a fall. His family, friends and those who knew him were 
shocked and devastated by the news. His agent, Harvey 
Kahn, ran a piece in the obituary section of The New York 
Times, talking about the man, the artist, his work and his 
life. A photograph of Bob Peak and a reproduciton of his 
movie poster Camelot accompanied the article. This was a 
thoughtful gesture by Harvey Kahn and greatly appreciated 
by myself and my brothers and sister. The Hollywood 
Reporter as well as Premiere magazine would also run 
stories about my father and his career. 

The story of Bob Peak, his work, his life, and his legacy 
will live on in the remarkable body of work he leaves behind. 
His art has left an indelible impression on popular culture 
and the field of illustration. Many fond memories are also 
left behind with his children, family, friends, and colleagues. 
We were all fortunate to have grown up in this world with 
a loving father who taught us, by example, the meaning of 
integrity, professionalism and how, with a strong work ethic, 
you can succeed in this competitive world. We were able to 
see the beauty of life and all of its wonders through his eyes 
as an artist. To stop and behold the glory of a sunset or the 
way a freshly spun spider web glistens from the moons light 
right after an early spring shower. These are the invaluable 
lessons my father leaves to us all. • 




Preliminary study for Impromptu, 1991. 



SPECIAL NOTE: I would like to extend a warm thank you to Harvey Kahn and 
Don Smolen for their time and invaluable assistance with information used in this 
article. A thank you must also go out to Par amount Pictures and 20th Century 
Fox for their assistance. A special thank you to Matt Zimmer, editor of Illustration, 
for his endless hours of work in bringing my story to you. My gratitude goes out to 
Dan Zimmer, publisher and designer of Illustration, for giving me the opportunity 
to write about my father's life and work. It has been a pleasure working with Dan, 
a truly professional and dedicated individual. I wish him continued success with 
Illustration magazine. To learn more about Bob Peak, please visit bobpeak.com 
The text of this entire article is © 2003 by Thomas Peak. 



WANTED 

ORIGINAL ART WORK BY: 



PETER ARNO ALAIN [D, BRUSTLEIN) 

VICTOR BOBRITSKY WILLIAM COTTON 

ABNER DEAN LEONARD DOVE 

JULIAN DeMISKEY T.G. HAUPT 

H.O* HQFMAN HELEN HOKINSON 

REA IRVIN CHRISTINA MA L MAN 

S.W, REYNOLDS GARRETT PRICE 

ROSE SILVER JAMES STEVENS ON 
WILLIAM GALBRAITH CRAWFORD 



Bruce Block P.O. Box 36367 Los Angeles CA 90036 
(323) 936-6679 tabgroup@ear1h link.net 



Illustration 77 




Remembering Bob Peak 

by Harvey Kahn 

A Speech Given to The Society of Illustrators in January, 1993 



First of all, I want to thank Illene Hedy Schultz, the 
Board of Directors of the Society and Terry Brown for the 
opportunity to talk about my friend Bob Peak. 

When Hodges asked if I would speak to you about Bob, 
my first reaction was a negative one. How do you say 
something about someone who's work is bigger than life? 
Having represented Bob Peak for more than 35 years, I have 
come to the following conclusions: 

When an artists' work is so widely recognized, admired 
and imitated, we sometimes lose sight of the originality and 
vigor of his statement. Looking at Bob Peak's movie posters 
for the Star Trek series, we can understand how shocking and 
innovative Bob's work was when he first came on the scene 
in the late 50s and early 60s. 

Although Bob was involved in many areas, he was of 
course best known for his movie work. Our first project 
together back in 1961 was "West Side Story". A lifetime of 
strong images followed— many were landmarks in Bob's 
career, such as "My Fair Lady", "Camelot", "The Missouri 
Breaks" and "Rollerball". A highlight was "Apocalypse 
Now" which Bob said was the most exciting thing he had 
ever worked on. 

Bob's artistic vision represented a bridge between the era 
of Norman Rockwell and Coby Whitmore, with its emphasis 
on technique, to more direct ways of making pictures, greater 
use of line and a more startling, bolder palette. Bob was 
always more interested in the idea of the work. His thinking 
transcending technique; despite the technical ability, for Bob 
it was all in the mind. In fact, when people called, curious to 
know how he had achieved a certain luminosity in a piece, 
his response was a curt one. Bob Peak was not always a 
tactful guy, but he was larger than life. 

In these hard times, it may be difficult to believe that the 
profession of illustrator was once a glamorous pursuit. Bob 
was one of the "Glamour Boys"— with his flowing white 
hair, sun glasses and Rolls Royce, a story book marriage to 
his lovely wife Lucille, exotic on-location assignments, and 
every award in the book, including the "Key Art Lifetime 
Achievement Award" in 1992 from the Hollywood Reporter. 
Nonetheless, Bob always said, "All I wanted to do was to 
be an illustrator." Despite his very healthy ego, I feel Bob 
most wanted to please, which made him the consummate 
commercial artist. Having a reputation like Bob Peak's put 
a lot of pressure on him— but it was the pressure that got his 
adrenaline going. He had many ideas on a given project and 



usually put them down in sketch and comp form. At times, 
it seemed that he did too many. That adrenaline would get 
going and he would go on and on, and I'd have to ask him to 
cease and desist. There are other jobs waiting! 

I'll leave you with a story that ironically occurred during 
Bob's last job. The Star Trek people, after fooling around 
with some other graphic possibilities, came back to Bob 
at the last minute for a special project. He'd been working 
around the clock when they called me to say they'd be 
sending someone down to check up on Bob's progress. 
I told them they shouldn't do that, but they didn't listen. 
Now, when Bob was deeply into a job, on a tight deadline, 
he and I had a signal when I'd phone. He'd know it was 
me, but for anyone else, he wasn't at home. The poor guy 
from Paramount spent three days in the Arizona desert 
without once speaking to Bob— who was, as I had warned, 
unavailable. Right down to the end, Bob insisted on his own 
creative expression by not quite acquiescing to the client's 
intervention. 

It was never dull representing Bob! • 




78 Illustration 




EXHIBITIONS <£EVENTS 



The Art of the Elegant Line: 

Pen and Ink Drawings from the 

Kelly Collection of American Illustration 

Now through April 4, 2003 
Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia 

Famous American images such as Uncle Sam and the Gibson 
girl are now on display in Randolph-Macon College's Flippo 
Gallery. The Art of the Elegant Line: Pen and Ink Drawings from 
the Kelly Collection of American Illustration will be on display 
until April 4. 

The Flippo Gallery is located in Pace-Armistead Hall on 21 1 
North Center Street on the R-MC campus. Gallery hours are 
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and weekends 
by appointment which can be made by calling (804) 752-3018. 
The exhibition features 34 of the Kelly Collection's best 
pen and ink images. Most were published as illustrations 
in books, magazines and advertisements between 1880 and 
1935. Charles Dana Gibson and nineteen other artists are 
represented in this collection including Joseph Pennell who 
is best known for his liberty loan posters, James Montgomery 
Flagg, creator of Uncle Sam, Howard Pyle, the father of 
American illustration, John Held who was famous for his 
drawings of flappers and jazz babies and N.C. Wyeth, the first 
of the great Wyeth family of painters. 
The Kelly Collection of American Illustration is a northern 
Virginia based collection owned by Richard and Mary Kelly, 
philanthropists and private collectors. 

Monsters, Mickey and Mozart: 
The Drawings of Maurice Sendak 

March 15th - May 18th, 2003 
The Brandywine River Museum 

In collaborative exhibitions, the Brandywine River Museum 
and The Rosenbach Museum and Library will jointly celebrate 
the 40th anniversary of Maurice Sendak's landmark book 
Where the Wild Things Are (1963). The Rosenbach will exhibit 
nearly all of the original drawings and watercolors featuring 
the book's internationally famous Max and his tamable Wild 
Things. The Brandywine River Museum's exhibition will pres- 
ent over 50 drawings created for two other highly acclaimed 
Sendak books, In the Night Kitchen (1970) and Outside Over 
There (1981), in addition to other works. Together, these 
books form a trilogy devoted to themes that have long been 
central to the artist's career. At the Brandywine River Museum, 
U.S. Route 1 and PA Route 100, Chadds Ford, PA 19317. 
For more information, call: 1-610-388-2700 

The Berenstain Bears Celebrate: 
The Art of Stan and Jan Berenstain 

Now through May 26, 2003 

The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge 

More than four generations of children have eagerly followed 
the adventures of the Berenstain Bears, and have learned about 
life in the process. Now, for the first time, a major museum 



exhibition showcases the work of the series' prolific creators 
Stan and Jan Berenstain . 

The exhibition explores the couple's evolution as artists 
and focus on the development of their popular Berenstain 
Bears family. The exhibit will include examples of some 
of the Berenstains' earliest children's books and magazine 
illustrations, as well as several interactive displays for children. 
For more information, call: 1-413-298-4100 

Herblock's Gift: 

Selections from the Herb Block 

Foundation Collection 

Now through June 28, 2003 

Library of Congress, Swann Gallery, Thomas Jefferson Building 
A special exhibition featuring fifteen original drawings 
included in a major donation by the late Washington Post 
cartoonist Herblock (1909-2001) and the Herb Block 
Foundation. Monday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
For more information, call: 1-202-707-9115 

Edward Gorey: 1925-2000 

Now through June 15, 2003 
Edward Gorey House Museum 

This exhibition leads visitors through illustrator/ author 
Edward Gorey 's life, from his first pair of baby shoes, to his 
diaries as an adolescent and finally to his worn out sneakers 
and favorite yellow sweater. Original artwork, photographs, 
and first editions help illustrate the vast array of works that 
Gorey produced during his lifetime and provide a glimpse into 
this extraordinary individual. 
For more information, call: 1-508-362-3909 

Folks, if there are any events happening in your area, do me a 
favor and send me an email to let me know about it. If I dont 
receive a press release, I cant promote your show or event. To 
make a long story short, I NEED YOUR HELP. If you know of 
any Exhibitions or Events that we should include here, please 
contact me. — DZ O 




REYNOLD BROWN REVELL MODEL BOX ART FRANK E. SCH00N0VER 

Reynold Brown by Dan Zimmer (a preview of the upcoming book!) 

The Box Artists of Revell by Thomas Graham 

The Art of Frank E. Schoonover by Louise Schoonover Smith 

Sheet Music Cover Art by Kevin Lynch 

... and much more! 



80 Illustration